Germany issues arrest warrants for six Ukrainians suspected of Nord Stream blasts – media
German authorities have issued arrest warrants for all suspects in the 2022 sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. All of them are Ukrainian citizens.
This is stated in an investigation by ARD, Süddeutsche Zeitung and Zeit, Censor.NET reports.
German investigators believe they have identified all operational perpetrators; seven people took part in the attack.
They include four divers, a person responsible for the explosives, a captain, and a coordinator (Serhii Kuznietsov, who was arrested in Italy and is awaiting a court decision on extradition to Germany; he formally denies the allegations).
Who has been identified?
According to German media, among the participants was diving instructor Volodymyr S. He had been in Poland, where he ran a company, but left the country after the German warrant was issued.
He allegedly fled the investigation in a car belonging to the Ukrainian military attaché, the reports say.
The group also purportedly included Vsevolod K., a 53-year-old serviceman who is believed to have been killed in fighting in eastern Ukraine in late December 2024.
Another suspect, Yevhen U., allegedly handled the explosives.
Reporters also obtained information about professional diver Valeriia T. and captain Yurii T.
According to the diving school where Valeriia works, she holds Ukraine’s women’s deep-diving record in a specialized discipline — 104 meters. For comparison, the Nord Stream pipelines lie at a depth of roughly 80 meters.
The crew of the yacht Andromeda, which the group used to carry out the sabotage, included skipper Yurii T. from Odesa, an experienced yachtsman who has competed in sailing events worldwide.
Investigators came across him through fingerprints found on the yacht.
According to ARD, SZ, and Zeit, the man had previously had problems entering the Netherlands and apparently had to be fingerprinted.
The journalists claim that Yurii T. has two fake passports with the names "Mykhailo Popov" and "Yurii Kotenko".
The investigation added that there are signs that the suspects acted with the support of Ukrainian state authorities. However, Germany has no final conclusions about Ukraine's involvement. Ukraine denies the allegations of involvement.
Nord Stream blasts
On 26 September 2022, three explosions occurred on the Nord Stream 1 and Nord Stream 2 pipelines, which run along the Baltic Sea seabed from Russia to Germany, causing massive gas leaks.
The governments of the United States, the United Kingdom and the European Union said the incident was an act of deliberate sabotage.
In early February 2024, Sweden closed its investigation into the Nord Stream explosions due to a lack of jurisdiction.
